Eric Ward

Rather than this
headstone, they should
name the thruway
interchange for
me. It was my
vote in the State
Senate that cleared
the way for the
seizure of the
land and the forced
removals of
the families
that lived on it.
And even though
it never got
out to the news,
somehow they all
knew that I’d been
paid off for my
vote. I did it
to provide for
my family,
to ensure their
security.
But things we do
in the name of
security
often destroy
exactly what
they are meant to
protect. And so
my children grew
up timorous,
not daring to
speak their minds in
public for fear
of ridicule
and pillory.